Easter holiday passed me by

Colin Hume

Over the years, our holidays have become more and more aligned with those of our English cousins.

True, some of the school breaks are a bit out of kilter – especially over the summer months – but at least that provides the opportunity for some slightly cheaper trips abroad for us Scots.

However, the real exceptions seem to occur at Easter and Hogmanay.

January 2 has never really been recognised as a holiday across the border and my colleagues in the south seem genuinely surprised when they can’t get hold of anyone up here when they consider the festivities all but over.

However, the reverse is true at Easter. While both Good Friday and Easter Monday are officially public holidays, many people in Scotland still choose to work them while, in England, it seems to be a three-line whip that you take them off.

I don’t have a problem with that but I do admit to a jolt on envy when someone phones up on the Tuesday and asks if I had a good weekend. By then I’d forgotten what it was like!